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trait

[ treyt; British also trey ]
/ treɪt; British also treɪ /
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noun

a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature: bad traits of character.
a pen or pencil stroke.
a stroke, touch, or strain, as of some quality: a trait of pathos; a trait of ready wit.

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RELATED WORDS

trick, habit, attribute, quirk, character, feature, peculiarity, oddity, virtue, idiosyncrasy, quality, manner, birthmark, custom, cast, savor, point, mannerism, mark, thing

Nearby words

trainshed, trainsick, trainspotterish, trainspotting, traipse, trait, traitor, traitoress, traitorous, traitorously, traitress

Origin of trait

1470–80; < Middle French: literally, something drawn < Latin tractus. See tract1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trait

British Dictionary definitions for trait

trait

/ (treɪt, treɪ) /

noun

a characteristic feature or quality distinguishing a particular person or thing
rare a touch or stroke

Word Origin for trait

C16: from French, from Old French: a pulling, from Latin tractus, from trahere to drag
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for trait

trait

n.

late 15c., "shot, missiles;" later "a stroke, short line" (1580s), from Middle French trait, from Latin tractus "draft, drawing, drawing out," later "line drawn, feature," from past participle stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). Sense of "particular feature, distinguishing quality" is first recorded 1752, from meaning "line, streak, feature" (1560s), which is common to English, French, and Latin.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for trait

trait

[ trāt ]

n.

A genetically determined structure, attribute, or function.
A distinct pattern of behavior.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for trait

trait

[ trāt ]

A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Traits may be physical, such as hair color or leaf shape, or they may be behavioral, such as nesting in birds and burrowing in rodents. Traits typically result from the combined action of several genes, though some traits are expressed by a single gene.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.